Only When It Rains
by T'eyla Minh
Summary: Epilogue to my first story, "Rain Will Make the Flowers Grow": Daniel and Betty share a secret romance, but only when it rains. How long can the secret be kept? ONE SHOT IN THREE PARTS.
1. Chapter 1

**ONLY WHEN IT RAINS**

_**Summary: **__Daniel and Betty share a secret romance, but only when it rains. How long can the secret be kept?_

_**Setting: **__This is an epilogue (or short sequel, if you like) to my first fic, "Rain Will Make the Flowers Grow"._

_**Pairing: **__D/B all the way._

_**Rating: **__PG (K-plus)._

_**Author's Notes: **__Okay, so, the ending of "Rain" seemed a little… bleak and ambiguous, so I had to make it fluffy and happy again. I tried to make this so that reading "Rain..." wouldn't be obligatory, but failed: therefore, I recommend reading that one first so you know what's happened before..._

_This story is a one-shot split into two parts, so don't ask for more. :P There might be more to make it a series but I haven't decided yet. ;)_

**Only When It Rains**

As plans went, it hadn't exactly been the best. It had seemed more than plausible at the time, but one factor had been overlooked, and it was now rearing its ugly head mockingly over the city of New York. The summer had come, and it was relentless.

They were both becoming rather unhealthily obsessed with the weather. Daniel liked to look out of the window of his office and predict what would happen; Betty preferred the weather forecast. Neither method was particularly reliable, and they were ultimately disappointed more often than not.

What neither of them could explain, or reveal to any curious bystanders, was why such a beautiful day as this one made them both feel so depressed; or why, when the rain came down in vast sheets, they were practically dancing for joy.

For the best part of a year, _Mode_'s Editor-in-Chief and his assistant had been harbouring a secret. Nobody knew about it: not Christina, not Hilda, not even Claire, who managed to get her nose into everything concerning her son. They feared a certain level of mockery, but both were also more than content to keep the secret between themselves. It added a level of excitement to the happiness already afforded them by downright awful weather.

It was a glorious day, the latest in a long period of swelteringly hot, sunny days in the endless summer, and the heatwave was showing no signs of stopping. Daniel sat in his office, staring glumly at the city, its myriad buildings eagerly reflecting the blinding sunlight. It was certainly an unquestionably breath-taking view, but Daniel could only sulk at the continual, perpetual sunshine. The heat was becoming unbearable, aside from his own personal grievances with the weather, and it simply had to cool down eventually. Winter seemed a lifetime away. The city was humid and felt as though it would explode at any given moment, hot lava bubbling up through the sewers from the Earth's very core…

Betty distracted him from his thoughts by wandering into his office, looking flushed and aggravated – she was _not_ enjoying the heat. She carried a newspaper before her, which she was hastily skimming, her head bowed.

"I finally got a hold of it," she told him, not looking up. "I found it under Amanda's secret jelly bean horde. I'd swear she was keeping it from me on purpose… Ah!" She stopped suddenly, having found the page she was looking for, and read it quickly.

Daniel got up from his desk and approached her. "Well?"

Betty's face told him all he needed know, but she clarified the news for him anyway. "Nope. Even hotter tomorrow, if that's possible, and absolutely no storms forecast either." She sighed. "This _has_ to break soon. I'm going crazy."

Daniel took the daily paper and read the offending page for himself – the weather forecast was exactly as she'd described.

"I know. Me, too."

She looked thoughtful. "Isn't there anywhere in the world where it rains all the time? Because I would seriously consider moving there."

"And I would be the first to join you," he offered, "but you know we can't just… disappear."

As he folded the newspaper closed again, Betty looked at him, then at the golden, shining city beyond.

"I wish we could just enjoy the weather…" she muttered. "You know, a walk in Central Park, something like that."

She stared longingly out of the window, and Daniel wanted nothing more than to hold her, comfort her… but they both knew it was impossible. Instead, he could only sigh sympathetically.

"Only when it rains…"

—d-b—

They awoke to blue, cloudless skies and a feeling of curious awkwardness and puzzlement. As Betty had feared, the sunlight had broken the previous night's spell; the magic had fled. The evening before felt like a dream, as detached from reality as the movie had been, as if they'd only watched themselves.

Betty felt vaguely embarrassed, and Daniel did not fare any better. They exchanged an uneasy greeting and then extricated themselves from the blanket which had covered them. Betty wanted nothing more than to leave, and tried to do so immediately, but Daniel managed to convince her to join him for a late breakfast. If nothing else, they had a lot to discuss.

At a nearby cafe, a low-key, uncomplicated place, they agreed the events to be nothing more than delirium – the after-effects of a stressful day and emotional fragility after the film. Betty had been tired, Daniel overwhelmed. Their friendship could easily remain intact, and neither particularly wanted to move on. It was as though the late night confessions and actions of insanity had merely never happened.

That is, until it rained again.

They left the Meade Enterprises building one early evening a few days later, at the same time, travelling down in the elevator together before going their separate ways. The weather had been miserable all day, the heavens threatening to open without ever really acting on it, so the light drizzle that met them was no surprise.

Daniel opened a smart, black umbrella, sheltering them both from the elements for a moment while he made his way to the awaiting car at the front of the building. They bid each other a good night and Daniel climbed into the back of the car, leaving Betty to head towards the subway.

She only managed to walk a few more feet before the drizzle grew heavier again. It wasn't quite enough to soak her, but nonetheless it would be an inconvenience by the time she'd reached the station. She was suddenly struck with a feeling of bizarre nostalgia – a fleeting remembrance of feeling safe and content. She shook it off, and carried on. She had thought about that night a few times, but never with any intensity, and it certainly wouldn't do to start thinking about it at a time like this.

Daniel's driver was hesitating, ensuring his passenger was ready before heading off, when the rain started battering on the roof of the car. Daniel, as Betty had been, was struck with a sense of familiarity. The car started to pull away and he spotted his assistant, still marching onwards through the rain.

He ordered the driver to stop again, then opened the passenger door and called out.

"Betty! Get in!"

Slightly sogged and bewildered, she hesitated. Daniel had effectively just kerb-crawled her, and she wasn't sure what to think about that. The longer she stood there, though, the wetter she became, so she started to clamber into the back of the car, aided by Daniel pulling her in.

"Daniel, what?"

"Drive," he instructed the chauffeur. "Betty's place." The car sped off, and Daniel pressed a button to bring the partition up, cutting them off from the driver's view.

"You felt it too, didn't you?" he surmised.

Betty nodded uneasily. "I felt… something."

"Like the other night, at the apartment," he clarified.

"Yes…" She seemed nervous; things weren't supposed to happen this way. "What does this mean? I thought we were just… temporarily crazy, and things were going to carry on as normal. But… now it's back."

"I don't know," he sighed, then looked across the passenger seat at her. "All I do know for sure is how much I want to kiss you."

Betty's cheeks tinged pink. "We can't, Daniel. We agreed."

He was looking at her oddly, as though seeing her through new eyes. "Maybe it doesn't have to be that way," he said, quietly. "Think about it for a moment. What if… whenever it rains…"

She looked at him incredulously; the idea was nonsense. "You're crazy," she told him. "The weather can't be responsible for the way people feel, it's impossible." Yet, somewhere within her, she wanted to believe that it could. Feeling trapped, she began fumbling with her seatbelt and knocked on the partition. "Hey! Mr Driver? I'd like to get out here, please?"

The car came to a stop at the side of the road and Betty was already half out of the door, with Daniel in pursuit. She ran around a corner, hoping to find something familiar from which to get her bearings, and instead found herself heading down an unwelcoming alleyway, a dead end. Despite her intention to escape from Daniel's apparent insanity, she found herself very glad that he'd followed her. It wasn't the most salubrious place to get lost in.

Unfortunately, it meant that he had her completely cornered.

The rain was now coming down full pelt. Betty sought out the only shelter she could find, an overhanging fire escape, and stood beneath it, leaning against the wall defeatedly. Daniel approached her, wearing an expectant expression, and she rolled her eyes.

"All right," she conceded. "I guess _that_ was a little stupid. But it's no more stupid than your idea."

"It's not stupid," he said, sounding like a petulant child. "Don't you remember, Betty? Don't you remember standing out in the street in the pouring rain, what I said to you?"

She nodded. "Of course I do, Daniel. You don't forget something like that…" She sighed. "But I thought it was just… crazy talk. We were both exhausted."

She was right; in the plain light of morning, after some well-deserved sleep, things had seemed a lot more lucid. "Maybe so," he said, "and maybe I _am_ crazy, but this feels real right now – as real as it did then." It was true; there was no way he was imagining the excitable percussion of his heartbeat as he stared at her, as he remembered that mind-numbing kiss from only a few nights ago.

"I… I know it does…" As much as she was loath to admit it, Daniel had a point. She could remember clearly their reunion in the street, his sudden confession, and the realisation that she'd fallen for him; the memory was easy when her heart was aching with need as much as it had then. She took a deep, cleansing breath, and felt slightly saner.

"Okay," she said calmly. "Let's take a time-out and think about this." Daniel looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue. "It was raining then, and it's raining now, _but_ that doesn't necessarily mean the two are connected."

"How else can you explain it?" he asked.

She was starting to feel like she'd fallen into an episode of _The X-Files_. "I don't know. I can't."

Daniel was ready to try again. "Will you hear me out?" Betty nodded, too confused to argue. "I don't know what's going on, but all I know is when it started raining, I wanted you beside me. And right now, that's the only thing which matters. If this is a coincidence, I will never speak of it again… all I ask is you give me tonight." Noting that she didn't seem convinced, he added, "It'll be our secret."

That seemed to rile her. "Why keep it a secret? You're not usually so careful." And yet, she knew precisely why it would need to be kept under wraps. Daniel had a reputation to uphold these days, and so did she. It wasn't worth risking their jobs over something that might not even be real.

"Because," he explained, "if it's nothing, then there's nothing to tell."

When he put it like that, it sounded plausible. Betty blinked, a caught raindrop falling from her lashes to her cheekbone and then trailing down her face. "Okay. Let me get this perfectly clear." She readied the facts in her brain. "You're saying that when it rains, we're together, and when it doesn't, we're not?"

Daniel nodded. "That's it exactly."

"You're _crazy_!" she repeated.

"No, _this_ is crazy," he said, exasperated. Grasping her face gently in his hands, he gazed at her imploringly. "Just try? Just tonight, and if it rains again after that and we feel nothing, we can go back to normal. I promise."

"Just tonight?" she asked.

He dropped his hands to rest lightly on her shoulders. "Just tonight. Just this night, and that's it."

Betty considered it for a moment. They had been here before and carried on as normal without suffering broken hearts, and his idea was beginning to sound more logical. _Betty_ had been here before, with her senses so completely full of Daniel that she wasn't in control of her actions. Now, he had moved in closer to try and read her expression, radiating warmth and the scent of his cologne. She wanted to burrow inside his expensive, woollen overcoat and drown in him completely.

She gave a weak nod, licking lips which had become dry from anticipation, and Daniel bridged what little remaining space there was between them to capture her mouth with his. As her eyes drifted closed, she remembered her words from that night: _"I don't want to go back…"_

Could they really maintain a state of friendship, after this? Or even, as Daniel had suggested, a secret liaison reserved only for the rain? Surely that would drive them mad. And what if he was right about the rain being the cause of it all? She didn't understand; it made no sense. It was the stuff of fairytales.

Of course, Betty had always believed in fairytales… She had always believed there was a Prince Charming, an Evil Queen, and Love's First Kiss…

They broke apart, slightly breathless, and Daniel rested his forehead against hers. Betty slipped her arms inside his coat, hugging his warmth to her.

"Just tonight," he repeated. "I promise."

"No." He pulled back to look at her, disappointment in his face. Quickly, she clarified: "I mean… not _just_ tonight. Maybe you're right. Maybe it _is_ the weather."

"I know it sounds crazy," he said, "but these feelings must have come from _somewhere_, Betty. I want… I want to give this a try."

"So do I," she said, nodding ponderously.

"Only when it rains."

_End of Part One..._

_**A/N:**__ I decided to post this in two parts because it ended up longer than I meant to be. I intend to post the second, longer part on Valentine's Day, so keep your eyes open. :)_

_In the meantime, let me know what you thought of this first part. I personally think it's a little too 'out there', but I wanted to play on that sort of magical, unreal atmosphere of the end of "Rain..." and I hope that came across..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Only When It Rains**

_**A/N: **__Okay, as promised, here is part two of the epilogue for Valentine's Day. And you're in luck, because there's actually a part three, which will turn up at some point next week. This part does have some kind of closure, but there's a little fluffy/angsty snippet to stick on the end because the Muses wouldn't leave me alone._

_So, without further ado - enjoy, and Happy Valentine's Day!_

Part Two

And so it continued, throughout the winter and into spring. The rain would come, and they would enjoy the time it afforded them. They would meet at Daniel's apartment and watch movies, or go out on 'business' meals that would not arouse any suspicion. A few times, Daniel had arrived at Betty's house under the pretence of something work-related, and they would walk around the block under an umbrella.

The rules changed somewhat as the weather shifted with the seasons, and snow became a part of their secret world. Hail was impractical, but provided a more than suitable excuse for staying indoors.

After the alleyway, it became increasingly apparent that Daniel had been right. His theory about the rain had been ridiculous, and they'd both known it… but it seemed that his supposition that their feelings had to have come from somewhere was more than accurate. The periods of clement weather became an almost unbearable self-inflicted torture, and as the summer approached and the weather grew warmer, they both felt a certain amount of trepidation.

The heatwave, of course, was a living nightmare. They had been waiting for a storm for weeks on end, with no luck. Neither, it seemed, wanted to put forward the suggestion of breaking their golden rule: Don't Touch, Don't Tell. Neither of them wanted to admit, either, that the rain no longer had anything to do with it, and that their constrained relationship, when it was allowed, was becoming more and more intense. If nothing else, they had proven that the old adage of 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' was true.

Daniel had taken to staring out of the window again, looking for any tell-tale sign of cloud. Betty had returned to her desk and was dutifully completing her tasks for the day, stopping periodically to take large swigs from a glass of water or obsessively check the weather forecast online, each time sighing disappointedly when it hadn't miraculously changed.

Suddenly, the comforting overhead whirr of the air conditioning began to sputter and cough. It had been running non-stop for the best part of a month and it seemed the machinery had finally given up. It gave one final hiccup, and then switched off.

Pandemonium seemed to break out across _Mode_, all members of staff suddenly descending, _en masse_, on Daniel's office. Betty didn't stand a chance of stopping them, and resigned to sit at her desk until the carnage had ceased. In fact, she took the opportunity it afforded her to collapse onto the relatively cool surface of the desk and close her eyes. It was far too hot to worry any more.

From the gaggle of voices, it was apparent that the staff wanted the air conditioning fixed, right this second. After attempting to calm them down with flailing arm gestures and a diplomatic tone, Daniel eventually gave up, climbed on top of his desk and shouted over the crowd.

"QUIET!"

Everyone shut up, all eyes on him. Betty opened one eye and watched the scene with interest.

Now faced with eager expressions, Daniel was at a loss. "Oh, okay. I didn't expect that to work…" He loosened his tie, already feeling the uncomfortable stuffiness of the office without its manufactured cool air. "Now, am I to understand that you want the air conditioning fixed?" There was a general consensus of murmurs. "What do I look like, the janitor? Get back to work."

Slowly, the crowd dissipated, everyone muttering disgruntledly and heading back to their respective parts of the floor. Daniel climbed down from the desk again and approached Betty.

"I guess you'd better call someone," he said.

"Right on it…"

They shared a look of impatient longing. In the heavy, humid warmth which had descended on the office, the possibility of them ever seeing each other again seemed even further away than before. Betty looked away first, instead trying to focus on her latest task, and thumbed through a notebook full of telephone numbers.

Daniel watched as she found the number, dialled it, and waited for the other end to pick up. She twirled the phone cord around her index finger as she waited, and then spoke animatedly, yet persuasively, into the receiver, explained the problem in no uncertain terms, and ended the call, writing down a reference number. The effortless way in which she had tackled the latest problem to hit _Mode_ suddenly made Daniel want to hug her. The simultaneous remembrance that he couldn't was too frustrating for words.

In that instant, he made an executive decision. To Hell with the rules.

"Betty…"

"They'll be out first thing tomorrow," she told him, anticipating that he wanted to know the outcome of the call. "Would have been next week, but I explained that this was a dire emergency. I mean, Amanda's stash of chocolate might melt, and then we'll never hear the end of it…"

"That's… great," he said, absently. "Listen, um…"

"What the bloody hell's happened to the air conditioning?" He was rudely interrupted by Christina as she came marching steadfastly towards them. "I was working in the Closet and it's already hot enough in there, but this is hotter than George Clooney covered in Tabasco sauce…" She fanned herself with her hands, looking red-faced and flustered.

"It broke," explained Daniel calmly, trying to cover his annoyance at his plan being thwarted, and attempting to remove the horrible mental image Christina had just planted into his brain.

"Went on strike, I should say," added Betty. "It's overworked, like someone else I could mention."

Daniel gave her a look. "If you need a break, you only have to tell me."

She blushed. "Oh, no, I meant you…"

"Oh…"

Even Christina could detect the awkward silence which fell between them. "Are you free for lunch, Betty? I could do with getting out of here."

Betty looked to Daniel for confirmation. She knew full well he would deny her nothing, but with Christina present it was best to keep up the front.

"Go on," he said. "And bring me back something cold."

Betty nodded gratefully and got up to follow Christina out of the door. Halfway there, she hesitated, aware that Daniel was watching her every move. "Um, Christina, I'll meet you downstairs in the lobby. I just need to sort something out."

The seamstress looked at Daniel somewhat critically. "You're a slave driver, you."

"Please, Christina?"

"Oh, all right." Christina stomped down the corridor towards the elevator. When Betty was quite sure that they were alone again – or as alone as they could be in the open-plan layout of the floor – she approached Daniel.

"Were you going to say something?" she asked.

"When?"

"Earlier, before Christina came in…"

"Oh, then." The plan now seemed less ideal, almost insurmountable. "Um… well…" He became very aware of the fact that he was starting to sweat. "God, it's hot in here."

Betty was far too lethargic to be bothered with this. "Tell me later, okay? I need to get some fresh air." She collected her bag from her desk. "Something cold?" she clarified.

"Yes. Please."

She gave him a brief nod, then left. Daniel paused a moment, and then returned to his own office, whereupon he resumed staring out of the window. At least he had some time to think about how to approach things.

—d-b—

Betty stepped out of the elevator an hour or so later and very nearly turned around again. The office, if anything, had grown even warmer. It felt like walking into a wall of fire. There was an electric fan sitting on Amanda's desk, which the receptionist was standing in front of, her shirt lifted to try and cool herself down.

"Oh, my God…" said Betty, reeling from the heat.

Christina followed her out and seemed to wilt almost instantly. "There should be a law against this," she muttered.

Betty looked at her watch. "Well, at least there's only four hours to go…"

Christina gave her an incredulous look. "If anyone wants me I'll be baking slowly in the Closet…"

They went their separate ways. On the way to Daniel's office, Betty passed several _Mode_ staff members in various stages of heat exhaustion, and upon reaching her destination she stopped in the doorway. Suppressing a laugh, she approached Daniel's desk.

During her absence he had finally given in to lethargy, and was dozing quietly. Betty placed the bottle of iced tea she'd bought on his desk near to his head, and he jumped awake, startled. After a moment he remembered where he was and focussed on Betty.

"Nice to see you're working so hard," she said.

He ignored her, instead noticing the plastic bottle she'd put down. He opened it eagerly and took a swig, then winced at the lukewarm contents.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "It _was_ cold when I bought it…"

"That's okay."

The not-so-iced tea now forgotten, they were caught once again in a silence that extended into the withering heat of the _Mode_ floor. Daniel's unspoken plan lingered in the air, waiting for release from the prison of his hesitation, and Betty could only try and read his expression, failing at every turn.

Finally, she spoke.

"Daniel, I have a confession to make."

Intrigued and a little hopeful about this new development, he was all ears. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Don't be mad, okay? It's just… I kinda… told Christina about us. Well, I mean, she wheedled it out of me, really, after all the awkward silences. I'm surprised no body else has noticed."

Daniel didn't say anything at first, mulling the information over in his brain. It didn't make his earlier plan any less feasible; in fact, it only made things easier, as he could enlist the help of Christina as an accomplice.

"That's perfect," he told her. Forgetting himself for a moment, he grabbed her and placed a sloppy kiss to her forehead with a resounding '_mwah!_'. "Stay there. I've got an idea."

With that, he moved quickly out of the room. Betty, slightly bewildered, merely stared after him for a moment, before returning to her desk. After all, it wouldn't hurt to check the weather forecast again, just in case…

Daniel practically sprinted to Christina's studio, a plan slowly beginning to form. He was already talking before he'd even found her in the crowded room.

"Christina, I need a fav-" He stopped in his tracks. "What are you doing?"

She was lying face-down on the floor, groaning slightly. "Can't talk. Dead."

"Um…"

Christina seemed to realise who was in the room with her and manoeuvred herself to sit on the floor. "Oh, it's you." Indicating her surroundings, she explained, "It's cooler down here. Now, what can I do for you?"

"I… need a favour."

"Oh, really?" She raised an eyebrow – this could be interesting.

"I know Betty told you everything, so you can stop with the face."

Her expression became petulant, eyebrow falling and bottom lip sticking out in a pout. "Spoilsport."

Daniel sighed a little impatiently. "Will you help me or not?"

"Of course, of course."

Taking a deep breath, Daniel proceeded to explain his plan to the eager seamstress, who listened carefully, nodding enthusiastically.

"That's _brilliant_," she enthused when he'd finished. "What do I need to do?"

"See if you can get hold of a lighter… or maybe some hairspray, that should be easier around here."

"Gotcha." She gave a salute. "You leave it to me."

"Thanks. I owe you one."

"Believe me, fixing the bloody air conditioning will be reward enough. Now go on, go get her."

Daniel smiled conspiratorially and turned on his heel, heading back to his own office. Christina rubbed her hands together gleefully, and immediately went off in search of some hairspray.

He found Betty in his office, staring mournfully out of the window. He stood close to her and tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey."

She looked up at him. "Hey." Despite her attempt to hide her disappointment, there was no enthusiasm behind her smile. Her voice was sad and lost, and she gave a mournful sigh. "It's such a beautiful day," she said. "I hate that we can't just… enjoy it."

Daniel wanted to offer some comfort, but the chance would come.

"It won't be for much longer," he said.

"You think so?"

"I know so." By way of explanation, he added, "I have a feeling it might rain soon."

She stared at him in utter disbelief. "Really? Have you _seen_ the sky? There's not a cloud in sight."

"Just wait. You'll see."

Betty returned her gaze to the window, convinced that Daniel had finally gone insane. After a while, she blinked heavily.

"Guh. I think my brain is melting."

Defeated, she moved to sit in Daniel's chair and resumed his earlier position of napping, closing her eyes. Daniel watched her for a moment, wondering how Christina was getting on. He wasn't too concerned about Betty nodding off; if all went to plan, she would be wide awake in no time.

There was silence throughout _Mode_, the majority of staff too hot to do anything remotely productive or energy-consuming. He spotted Christina running past the end of the corridor, but she was moving too fast for him to work out if she'd found anything. Enjoying the quietude for a while, Daniel waited.

Suddenly there was an almighty ruckus of shrieking and screaming; Betty gave a squawk and leapt from the chair.

The sprinklers had gone off.

Betty looked thoroughly confused for a moment, though slightly glad of the brief reprieve from the heat, then realised that Daniel had not reacted in the slightest and was standing there quite happily getting soaked.

"See?" he said. "I told you it wouldn't be long."

She stared at him incredulously. "What's going on?"

He grinned. "It's raining."

Betty understood, her expression turning to grateful relief, and she ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck, catching him in a suffocating hug. Oblivious to the chaos which was ensuing around them, Daniel held her tight, glad of the chance to finally do so.

Staff were trying to hide under their desks. Amanda, too stunned to move, merely stood in her previous, shirt-lifted position in a complete stupor, while Marc was crouching forlornly under an umbrella, rather futilely. There didn't seem to be much noise coming from Wilhelmina's office, but she was doubtless as shocked as everyone else.

Betty pulled back from Daniel.

"Did you do this?" she asked. He gave a nod. "What for?"

Daniel took hold of her hands. "To prove a point." Betty said nothing, forcing him to continue. "The past few months have been amazing… but I can't help but think how much better things would have been if we'd only had more time. I can't bear the thought of being away from you for another second, Betty… so I just figured, to Hell with it. We both know the weather has nothing to do with it – I think I knew that all along, and just needed an excuse, or some kind of reason, and a promise is a promise so I stuck to it."

He stopped for a moment, aware that he was starting to ramble. "I can't deny it any more. I don't want to. I'm fed up of the restrictions, and I only did this" – he indicated the water cascading from the ceiling – "because I knew it was the only way you'd listen to me."

"What are you trying to say?" she asked, saving him from further explanations.

Everything suddenly became crystal clear, and he smiled. "I'm trying to say that I love you."

"Oh…"

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"I… I do believe you, Daniel, it's just…"

He didn't let her continue, as there was more he wanted her to hear. "I know the first time, we were both a little crazy, but… it was the truth. I meant what I said that night, and I mean it more than ever right now."

Betty's brain was reeling, trying to take everything in. She had been waiting for their pact to break, and had felt on the brink of it for some time, but to her mind she had expected their constrained relationship to fall apart under the pressure. Never in her wildest dreams she did anticipate that Daniel would want things to continue… let alone that he would fall for her. She had been waiting with a certain trepidation for him to announce that things weren't going to plan, that it was over… this was so vastly different that it had thrown her for a loop.

"What about the secrecy?" she asked, a little redundantly. They were in far too public a place to be having this conversation, but there was little she could do about it now. Nobody seemed to have braved the slowly flooding office as yet, so they were relatively alone.

"I would gladly tell the world," he said, "but… whatever you want."

Betty felt unbidden tears stinging her eyes and swiped at them in irritation, pulling her hands from his grasp. The flow would not stop, and Daniel became concerned, pulling her back into his arms and rubbing her back soothingly.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," she sniffed. "I'm just… totally overwhelmed." Slightly calmer, she took a step back to explain. "I mean, I've been waiting over a month in this godforsaken heat just to… to hold you, be near you, just… _anything_… and then you go and make it rain for me, and…" She wiped at the tears again, frustrated. "I thought we were breaking apart, Daniel, and I was trying so hard not to fall in love with you that I didn't even realise I already had… "

She stopped, gathering her thoughts. Daniel patiently waited for her to continue, even though she had already admitted her own feelings in passing and he wanted nothing more than to hold on for dear life. He could sense when she needed space to organise her mind.

Betty gave up trying to think of anything else to say. Instead, she pulled him towards her and hugged him tight. "I can't believe you did this," she said. "I love you so much…"

Daniel was convinced his heart had just stopped, and he squeezed her tightly. At that point, the water was finally shut off, and he knew everything was going to be fine…

_To be continued..._

_**A/N: **__...even though it's a more than adequate place to end, obviously. ;) There is more fluff in the last part. Hopefully this bit has cleared up any loose ends, anyway._

_Please leave a review. :)_


	3. Chapter 3

-1**Only When It Rains**

_**A/N: **So, here's the last bit, finally. I apologise for the delay, but I've been busy and February has been insanely long. This chapter's essentially pointless, but it's fluffy and a little bit angst, and that's what counts, right? ;)_

_Enjoy…_

Part Three

"I take it everything worked out fine, then?" Christina's voice emanated from the doorway and they broke apart, somewhat self-consicously. She was clutching a can of hairspray in one hand, shaking it casually and grinning, her hair dripping.

"Nice job, Christina," said Daniel. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Betty stared at them both in turn. "You were in on this, too?" she asked accusingly.

"Betty, by all accounts, you admitted to me earlier that you were going a wee bit mad. You didn't expect me to do nothing, did you?"

"I guess not…"

At that moment, a man in a janitor's uniform entered the office. "Are you the guy in charge?" he asked. Daniel nodded. "Okay, well, the water's fixed."

Feigning ignorance, Daniel asked, "Any idea what caused it?"

The man nodded and made a gruff noise that sounded unimpressed. "Aerosols," he said simply. "If I've told you magazine people once, I've told you a million times: lay off the hairspray." Christina hid the can behind her back and tried to look innocent. "The clean-up squad will be in tomorrow," continued the janitor. "You might want to give everyone the day off."

"Okay. Thanks."

The janitor sloped off again, muttering to himself. Once he was out of sight, Betty let out the breath she'd been holding and burst into hysterical giggles, as did Christina. Daniel managed to contain himself until he caught sight of Wilhelmina stalking out of her office towards him, an image which would ordinarily have struck fear into even the bravest soul, except that she was dripping wet, fuming, and sporting a halo of frizz that had once been her perfectly-coiffeured weave. Daniel let out a snort of amusement but managed to just about regain his composure, as Wilhelmina finally stamped into his office looking supremely unimpressed, wearing her 'I-can-kill-you-with-my-laser-vision' face.

Betty and Christina regained control of themselves and took a step back, leaving Daniel to march into the breach on his own.

"Hello, Wilhelmina," said Daniel calmly. "I was beginning to think you'd melted."

This comment set Christina off into a paroxysm of laughter, but Betty elbowed her in the ribs and she shut up again.

"What," said Wilhelmina slowly, ignoring him, "just happened?"

"Just an accident," he said. "Too much hairspray." Christina had a hand clamped over her mouth and was twitching and turning bright red. Wilhelmina looked decidedly suspicious.

"Oh, really? Funny how there's never been an accident like it before."

"Well, it was your idea to go for big hair this issue," he said. "I'm surprised people can even breathe around here with the amount of beehives I've seen coming out of the hair and make-up department."

Wilhelmina raised a sceptical eyebrow, but seemed to concede defeat. If she was honest, she was too uncomfortable to give a damn. "Hm. I suppose 'Winehouse Chic' may have been pushing things too far. In fact, with the latest…" she struggled for the correct word, waving a hand regally, and settled on: "…hoo-hah in the news about dear Amy, we might be better off reconsidering the idea."

"I would have to agree," he said diplomatically. "The office is being cleaned up tomorrow, so you might want to let people know."

She gave him a withering stare at being ordered around, but even Wilhelmina could appreciate a free day off, and scuttled off to tell the rest of the staff. When she was safely out of sight again, Christina finally managed to breathe out, and Betty felt herself relax again. The seamstress placed the half-empty can of hairspray on Daniel's desk.

"I don't know how you did that," she said with an admiring tone. "She gives me the willies."

Daniel suddenly shuddered violently. "Believe me, inside I'm terrified." He gave Betty a somewhat knowing glance, and she knew he wasn't only referring to his encounter with Wilhelmina.

"Thanks for saving my arse there," said Christina gratefully.

Betty interjected. "No, thank _you_, Christina. You've been amazing." She leaned over to give her friend a hug, but they soon separated again. The brief comfort from the heatwave was now replaced with unpleasant dampness.

Christina sensed that she was imposing and decided to make herself scarce.

"I'm going to change and get out of here," she announced. "I think my work here is done. Have fun, you two."

She squelched down the corridor back in the direction of the Closet, pausing momentarily at reception to snap Amanda out of her stupor by splashing her with some of the water which had accumulated on top of the circular desk, before disappearing quickly. Amanda was heard to yell, "Hey! I totally deserve some free clothes!" before following her.

Daniel and Betty were left alone in the slowly emptying office. She squeezed some excess water from her shirt and brushed down the front of her skirt with both hands, flicking droplets everywhere.

"Well, this is familiar."

"Come on," said Daniel without hesitation, inclining his head towards the exit. "You can dry off at my place."

She began to laugh – yes, _definitely_ familiar. Daniel reached for his suit jacket, which was just as drenched as everything else, and they made their way to the elevator.

Betty was beginning to feel a slight chill in the shade and shivered a little. Without really thinking, Daniel offered her his jacket, which she took gratefully. She felt warmer, but couldn't tell if that was because of the extra layer or the wonderful, heated feeling which coursed through her veins as soon as the heavy item settled on her shoulders.

The elevator arrived and they stepped inside, and she was struck by a decidedly random thought.

"Your suit must be ruined…"

He gave her a smile. "I have lots of suits. But I only have one of you."

She returned the smile, the lovely heated feeling washing over her once more. As they were the only occupants of the small space, she reached over to take his hand in hers.

A few minutes later the elevator came to a stop and they released each other and stepped into the lobby, making the short journey across the spacious foyer to the revolving doors at the front of the building. As soon as they stepped into the sunshine, Betty felt her bones start to warm again. She paused a moment, tilting her face to the sun and letting the heat cascade over her skin.

Daniel was only half-watching her, trying to hail a cab. One pulled up fairly quickly and Betty snapped back to reality when she realised Daniel had opened the passenger door and was waiting for her to get in.

"I'd really like to walk," she told him. "It's not that far."

He closed the door again. "Okay."

They walked side by side to his apartment building, drying off in the mid-afternoon sun. The journey passed quietly and without incident, neither drawing attention to themselves and the new development to their relationship. Passers-by mostly ignored them, and they reached the familiar apartment complex in no time.

Before they entered, Daniel stopped.

"Wait…"

Betty felt a horrible tug of fear in her heart. Was he backing out now that they'd come so far?

"What's wrong?" She hoped that her voice hadn't betrayed her, but he must have seen the fearful expression on her face, as his own expression softened from its initial seriousness.

"Nothing's wrong, Betty. I'm just glad we finally broke that stupid rule."

"It was _your _stupid rule," she reminded him jestingly, with a smile.

"I know. I'm sorry." He gave a sigh. "I'm just a coward."

"You expect me to believe that after you stood up to Wilhelmina earlier?"

"That was different," he said, shrugging. "Come on, I'll explain inside."

He entered the security code and held open the door, allowing Betty to enter the building first. They made their way up to the penthouse in silence, and upon entering, Betty paused at the threshold. The apartment looked significantly different in daylight, quite the opposite from the last time she was there. Sunlight was streaming through the street-side windows, the kitchen was clean and white and the sparse surroundings seemed entirely more welcoming. Still, she had to admit that the darkened, television-lit glow of their rainy night together had seemed just as cosy.

"Well… here we are again," she said. He had been oddly quiet since their exchange outside the building, not saying a word on the way up, and Betty had a slightly disconcerting sensation of butterflies in her stomach, a faint dread that she couldn't quite identify. She cleared her throat to break the silence.

"So… are you going to explain why you think you're a coward?"

He gave a slightly sheepish smile. "I suppose so."

Betty went to drape Daniel's borrowed jacket over the back of the couch, and he watched her for a while as he tried to find the right words to say. She paused to look out of the window at the view, which she'd never really had chance to do before. It was almost as breath-taking as from his office.

Daniel took a few steps forward, still watching Betty. The play of light and shadow caught her just so in that moment, and he felt his breath hitch unexpectedly in his throat. Whatever he'd been planning on saying next was lost, and no more words would form to take its place.

'_You're beautiful…'_ he wanted to say; nothing would come out. Besides, she would only pretend he was mad. He knew her well enough to predict that her damnably low self-esteem would not allow her to believe him, no matter how sincerely he tried to convince her. No, it could wait. There would be a better time.

She snapped him out of his reverie by prodding him again about his earlier cryptic admission.

"So?"

"So. Yes. I'm a coward," he repeated, trying to remember what he'd intended on saying.

She smiled. "You said that already, and I still don't believe you."

He joined her by the window and gathered his thoughts. Betty's gaze was curious and already accepting, and it gave him enough courage to continue.

"This is all pretty scary stuff, you know," he said. "I knew that much when I was with Sofia." He sighed. Sofia had hurt him; Betty was not Sofia. He tried again, leaving the past in the past. "I don't… I don't remember ever feeling this way about anyone before, not really. It's all new to me. It's new and amazing and absolutely terrifying, and the reason I'm a coward is… I knew, Betty."

He reached to caress her cheek and she gazed at him with a mix of curiosity and sympathy in her eyes, silently urging him to continue. "I knew I'd fallen for you that night, and I tried to pretend I hadn't. I tried to carry on like nothing had happened, because it was a lot easier than acknowledging it, and because I didn't think there was any point…" He sighed again. "Except then it rained again, and all those feelings came flooding back, so I thought… why not give it a shot? The stupid weather idea was the only way I thought you'd give it a chance, but I had no idea things would get this far…"

"Nor did I," she admitted, speaking for the first time in his explanation. "I thought your idea was crazy, you knew that…" He gave a nod, and she continued. "But… I don't know, when we were in that alleyway it seemed to make so much more sense."

She could remember their conversation in the rainstorm clearly. Every time she had gone over it in her head, it had seemed even less plausible, but the insanity of it was always overwhelmed by the lingering memory of their kiss.

She sighed heavily. "You know what? The only coward here is me, Daniel… I wanted the rule to break as much as you did, but I was too scared to suggest it, because…"

Her sentence trailed off into nothingness, the planned explanation sounding ridiculous and pathetic in her head, and she looked away. Daniel placed a finger beneath her chin, raising her face to his again.

"Because..?" he prompted.

"Because I… I thought you'd reject me," she finally admitted. "I thought maybe you were only humouring me… humouring yourself… I don't know what I thought." She sighed again in irritation. "I couldn't believe it was happening… and then I felt myself starting to fall for you and I didn't know what to do."

"You should have told me," he said.

"I know…"

Daniel paused. They had both been hesitating too long in admitting their feelings for each other, and there seemed little point in dwelling on that now, when things were out in the open. Throughout their secret liaisons, neither had wanted to take things further than dinner, walks in the rain, late night movies and goodnight kisses, and perhaps that had been the problem.

"Do you have any idea how difficult the past few weeks have been?" he asked; she gave a fairly non-committal shrug. "Impossible," he said. "You're amazing, Betty. _This_ has been amazing, and this heatwave… The worst thing is, I've forgotten what it feels like to kiss you."

Betty felt herself turn bright red, but smiled. A slightly mischievous glint flashed in her eyes. "Apparently," she said, "the braces get in the way. I wouldn't know."

With a small smile, he asked, "Am I permitted to jog my memory?"

She felt an incredibly familiar rush of heady passion, but this time was aware enough to control herself and not jump on him. There was something so impossibly adorable about him asking for permission that she almost lost control of her faculties.

"Oh, my God, Daniel – you have _got_ to stop asking me that, or I will _not_ be responsible for my actions!"

He took that as a more than adequate affirmative, finally indulging in the kiss they'd both been waiting for since his impromptu surprise at the office. For Betty, it was as though everything was finally sealed and dealed; she'd been waiting for this from the moment the sprinklers had gone off. Before now, every kiss had felt like a final goodbye. This was different – very much a new beginning.

When they finally parted, there was no anxious sorrow about when they could see each other again. Betty smiled and nestled herself comfortably in Daniel's arms, settling her clasped hands at the base of his spine, and he gave her a squeeze.

"I meant it, you know," he said. "I _do_ love you, Betty."

"I know you do," she said. "I'm just… I'm still having a little trouble believing it. I mean, I've seen the kind of women you usually aim for and-"

He interrupted her by pulling out of her arms and grasping her shoulders firmly, but gently, to make his next point as clear as possible.

"Don't even finish that thought. You're the exact opposite of them, and that's the only reason I need." With each of his next points, he gave her a little shake to drive them home. "You're smart, and capable, and you make me laugh, and you brighten up every room you walk into. More than that, you understand me, instead of viewing me as a walking pocket of cash… and even if you _do_, I don't mind, because you deserve every penny I want to spend on you…"

There were unshed tears glistening in her eyes, but she gave him a small smile.

"And somehow," he added, "if I can make you smile, nothing else matters."

She shook her head a little. "I don't think I deserve you."

"You're absolutely right," he agreed. "You deserve someone better. You know full well I'm a screw-up, Betty… but I can only promise to try harder."

"You're not a screw-up, Daniel," she said, trying to reassure him. "You make mistakes, but you're a good person."

"I want to be better," he told her. "For you."

She couldn't find the words to say all the things that were running through her brain. Daniel had thrown her for a loop for the second time in as many hours, and if she had been in any doubt of where they stood, he had dispelled her fears quite effectively. Her heart ached with need and love and utter bafflement, and all she could do was wrap her arms around him again and let out a long, contended sigh.

After a moment, she spoke. "I'm glad it's stopped raining."

-FIN-

_**A/N:** There, I finally got this blasted thing to end. Honestly, at one point I thought it would just keep going and going with no sign of an ending. I managed to sit on it, anyway._

_So, my two-part one-shot turned into three parts, but it's still a one-shot. ;) I may do a few snippets of their Sekrit Romanss (:P) before the sprinkler incident, but we'll see how it goes. For now, I shall get right back on to "Strange Glue" before it's Christmas again and the damn thing is seasonal…_

_Let me know what you thought of this final chapter, if you would be so kind…_


End file.
